1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses. In particular, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a digital image-reading device and an image forming device, preferably disposed vertically overlapping each other, in which a receiving tray to which sheets are discharged is provided between the image-reading device and the image forming device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, an image forming apparatus is known which has a configuration in which, in order to reduce the size of the apparatus and the like, an image forming device and an image-reading device are disposed so as to be vertically separated from each other and sheets having images formed thereon are discharged through an opening between these devices.
The known image forming apparatus is described below with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the known image forming apparatus. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 6, in which a printer as an image forming device is removed from a receiving rack.
As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, the known image forming apparatus includes a reader 1 as an image-reading device for optically reading image data from an original and converting the image data into a digital signal, a printer 2 for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with the image data read by the reader 1, and a receiving rack 3 for supporting and receiving the reader 1 and the printer 2.
The receiving rack 3 is described as follows. The receiving rack 3 includes a reader-mounting frame 4 and a printer-mounting base 5. The printer-mounting base 5 is provided with four casters 24.
The printer-mounting base 5 is movable back and forth in a direction Y shown in FIG. 8 independently from the receiving rack 3 (see FIG. 8).
In FIG. 8, the printer 2 is received in the receiving rack 3 in a manner such that the printer 2 is pushed into the receiving rack 2 until the printer-mounting base 5 comes into contact with a stopper 26 and is fixed to the receiving rack 3 by a fixing pin (not shown) at the printer-mounting base 5. The image forming apparatus is prevented from moving by adjusters 25.
The disposition of the reader 1, the printer 2, and the receiving rack 3 is described below. The reader 1 is mounted on the reader-mounting frame 4 and the printer 2 is mounted on the printer-mounting base 5 at predetermined positions, respectively, by being positioned by positioning members (not shown), respectively.
A part of an upper cover of the printer 2 forms a discharged-sheet receiving tray 6, sheets being discharged onto the discharged-sheet receiving tray 6. With the arrangement in which recorded sheets are discharged between the reader 1 and the printer 2, a discharging unit disposed protruding from a printer at a side thereof can be eliminated, whereby the footprint of the apparatus can be reduced.
A sheet feeder unit 7 is a front-loading-type sheet-feeder unit in which sheet cassettes are inserted from the front side of the apparatus. Therefore, the sheets can be charged from the front side of the apparatus. The printer 2 as an image forming device includes, mounted in a casing, an image forming unit, the sheet feeder unit 7, and the discharged-sheet receiving tray 6.
The printer 2 is removed from the receiving rack 3, as shown in FIG. 8, when maintenance service will be performed on the printer 2, or in the case of a jam and the like.
The space for removing the sheets from the discharged-sheet receiving tray 6, that is, the space between the reader-mounting frame 4 and the discharged-sheet receiving tray 6 is determined by the sizes of the reader 1 and the printer 2, the thickness of the reader 1, and the like.
The known image forming apparatus arranged as described above is reduced in size and is easy to handle.
However, a problem in removing discharged sheets has been found in the known image forming apparatus, the problem being described below with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a conceptual view of the known image forming apparatus in which discharged sheets are being removed.
In FIG. 9, when the user holds the sheets with his or her hand H and moves their hand to the right as viewed in the drawing to remove the sheets from the discharged-sheet receiving tray 6, the sheets interfere at ends thereof with a side-face 3a of a frame member 3c of the receiving rack 3, whereby the sheets are damaged or are folded, or it is difficult to remove the sheets.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus easy to handle, in which discharged sheets are removed easily.
To this end, according to an aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus comprises an image forming device for forming an image on a sheet; a discharged-sheet receiving device provided at an upper part of a casing including the image forming device, for receiving the sheet after being discharged by the image forming device with an image formed theiron; and a receiving frame for receiving the casing including the image forming device, the receiving frame being provided with a guide unit for guiding removal of the sheet received in the discharged-sheet receiving device.
The guide unit preferably guides the sheet received in the discharged-sheet receiving device so that the sheet does not interfere with the receiving frame when the sheet is removed.
The guide unit may be positioned in the receiving frame in a manner such that the guide unit includes a guide surface contactable with the sheet which is removed, so as to guide a leading end of the sheet to slide downwardly on the guide surface when the sheet is removed from the discharged-sheet receiving device.
The receiving frame may be provided with an image-forming-device mounting base which is movable away from the receiving frame, for mounting thereon the casing including the image forming device, the receiving frame having a frame member disposed above the casing including the image forming device and extending substantially in parallel to the direction of the movement of the image-forming-device mounting base.
The frame member of the receiving frame disposed above the casing including the image forming device supports an image-reading-device mounting base for mounting thereon an image reading device for reading an image.
The guide unit may be detachably mounted to the frame member of the receiving frame.
The guide unit may include a movable member with which the guide unit moves between a first position for guiding removal of the sheet from the discharged-sheet receiving device, and, in a waiting mode, a second position apart from the image forming device and above the first position when the casing including the image forming device moves away from the receiving frame.
The movable member may be a link structure provided on the image-reading-device mounting base, the link structure mating with the casing including the image forming device, thereby moving the guide unit.
The movable member may include a detector for detecting whether the casing including the image forming device is received in the receiving frame, and a driving unit for moving the guide unit in accordance with the detection by the detector.
The image reading device may have means to convert an image read from an original copy into a digital signal and supply the digital signal to the image forming device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus comprises a casing, an image forming member for forming an image on a sheet wherein the casing includes the image forming member; a sheet-receiving device provided at an upper face of the casing, for receiving the sheet on which an image has been formed; a receiving frame for receiving the casing, the receiving frame enclosing the casing at the upper face and a side face of the casing; a reading device mounted on upper frame members of the receiving frame, the upper frame members enclosing the upper face of the casing; and an inclined guide device provided downstream in the sheet-discharge direction of the sheet-receiving device, for guiding a sheet stack received in the sheet-receiving device so that the sheet stack does not interfere with the upper frame members.
According to the present invention, an image forming apparatus is provided in which recorded media after being discharged can be easily removed by being provided with a guide unit mounted to a receiving frame, for guiding the media toward under a frame member of the receiving frame disposed in the vicinity of the removal position.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.